The Editor,
I had an experience this evening that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
I was driving north on Johnson Street in Coquitlam when the traffic suddenly slowed. I leaned my head out the car window to see what the problem was, and there lay a bobcat, writhing in pain in the middle of the road, cars passing within inches of its poor, broken body.
Two young men were on the sidewalk, eyes riveted to the animal, one frantically signalling traffic away, the other talking animatedly on a cell phone. I pulled my car up to within a few feet of the animal, hit my flashers and called out to the men; they told me that they had contacted the conservation office, which was sending help.
I left my car where it was to protect the bobcat from traffic in the northbound lane and, as I exited my vehicle, a man on a motorcycle pulled up and parked his bike to shield the animal from the southbound traffic.
The bobcat had clearly sustained numerous, catastrophic injuries and yet was fighting so hard and courageously for life. There was nothing we could do but wait, divert the traffic and try to soothe the bobcat with our voices.
Eventually, a Coquitlam city employee arrived. He put traffic cones out, and between us all we created a protective barrier around the animal. The Coquitlam employee made some calls and finally told us that the RCMP was being dispatched to assist.
I had a beach mat in my trunk, so we used that as a stretcher to move the bobcat onto the softer ground at the side of the road. Eventually, the RCMP arrived and took quick action to euthanize the cat.
I am writing this to say thank you to this group of wonderful and compassionate people whose names I do not know. To curly headed young guy, to young guy with cellphone, to motorcycle guy, to very tall Coquitlam city guy, to all the people in their cars who patiently dealt with the disruption in traffic and called out their concerns, and to the RCMP officers who finally put the poor creature out of its pain and suffering.
You could have walked away, you could have gone back to the million and one important things that fill your schedules and consume your lives, but instead, you stopped and took the time to respond to a creature in pain, to do what you could to ease its suffering and speed it to a peaceful passage.
You touched my heart. Thank you.
Rachel le Nobel, Coquitlam
